ILWU endorses Lowenthal for LB City Council

LONG BEACH — The Southern California District Council of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union has endorsed Councilwoman Suja Lowenthal for re-election, her campaign announced Wednesday.

"Growing up in a port city as a little girl in India and having a father who was a port worker, I respect and am thankful for the sometimes thankless work performed by our brothers and sisters at the ports," Lowenthal said in a statement.

"Long Beach has many monikers, but 'port town' always evokes a sense of rich history and steadfast future to me, mainly because of the men and women I've met over the years."

The ILWU represents thousands of workers at the Port of Long Beach and Los Angeles.

Lowenthal is running for a second elected term against Janet Ballantyne, a sponsor relations manager at a large financial firm, and Mike Kamer, a graduate student at Cal State Long Beach and volunteer coordinator.